


the breakfast club

by orphan_account



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, The Breakfast Club (1985)
Genre: Breakfast Club References, Inspired by The Breakfast Club (1985), M/M, Mentioned Henry Bowers, Minor Connor Bowers/Richie Tozier, No Bill Denbrough, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 10,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27239659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: basically a reddie au based off of a classic, with a few changes :)takes place in 2020.[lowercase intended]
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

"i can't believe you can't get me out of this.. i mean it's so absurd that i have to be here on a saturday! it's not like i'm a defective or anything," beverly marsh scoffed, sitting in the passenger seat of her mother's car.

"i'll make it up to you. baby, ditching class to go shopping doesn't make you a defective... have a good day," elfrida smiled. she handed beverly her lunch, which was received with an eye roll and another scoff as she got out of the car and walked up into the school.

\--------

mike was stressed out; it was obvious the second you looked at him.

"is this the first time or the last time we do this?" his grandfather asked, looking at him with disappointment clear in his dark eyes.

"last," mike whispered, avoiding the older man's gaze.

"well then get in there and use the time to your advantage."

"grandpa, we're not supposed to study; we just have to sit there and do nothing."

"mike, you find a way to study. now go."

and with that, mike got out of the car and headed up the steps.

\--------

"hey, i screwed around... guys screw around, there's nothing wrong with that. except you got caught, sport." frank kaspbrak hummed.

"mom already reemed me," eddie sighed, reaching for the door handle and stopping when his dad continued to speak.

"you want to miss a match? you want to blow your ride? no school's gonna give a scholarship to a discipline case," frank snapped, eddie recoiling as he rushed out of the car.

\--------

richie tozier walked through the parking lot, wearing a pair of sunglasses. a car drove towards him, but he ignored it and continued walking, while the driver slammed on the brakes. he went up the stairs, soon disappearing into the high school.

\--------

the car didn't move anymore; it stayed stopped to let stanley uris out. his hair, colored black, peeked out from his black hoodie and fell into his eyes as he shut the door and moved forward to look in the car's front window and say bye, but the car drove away, leaving him standing alone in the parking lot before heading inside.


	2. Chapter 2

when mike walked in, beverly was already sitting at a front table. he sat at the table behind her, watching as eddie came up and pointed to the chair next to beverly, sitting down when she shrugged. they all sat awkwardly for a minute until richie walked in, dragging his hand along everything on the librarian's desk, knocking things out of place and tucking a few random objects in his big jacket pocket.

richie walked over to where mike was sitting, gesturing for him to get up and move to the other table next to it. mike looked up at him with a reluctant look before giving in and moving seats, richie taking his previous spot and putting his feet up on the table.

the last student to walk in was stanley, and eddie and bev snickered as he walked in. he had his earbuds in, ignoring everyone else as he went to the farthest table, sitting behind mike. mike watched him, a look of confusion on his face until he turned forward again.

and then mr. gray walked in and detention officially had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

"well, well. here we are. i want to congratulate you all for being on time," mr. gray stated dryly, his tone so disrespectful it made them all wonder how he got the job.

beverly raised her hand. "excuse me, sir? i think there's been a mistake. i know this is detention but.. uh.. well you see, i don't think i belong in here,"

mr. gray ignored her completely, continuing his little speech.

"it is now seven-oh-six. you have exactly eight hours and fifty-four minutes to think about why you're here, to ponder the error of your ways." he was interrupted by richie, who spit into the air before catching it in his mouth again, eddie and beverly gagging.

"and," gray continued sternly. "you may not talk. you will not move from these seats. and you," he said, pointing at richie before pulling the chair out from underneath his seat. "will not sleep. alright, people, we're gonna try something a little different today. we're going to write an essay-of no less than a thousand words-describing to me who you think you are."

"is this a test?" richie muttered mockingly, as gray began to pass out paper and pens, ignoring the lanky teen.

"and when i say essay, i mean essay. i do not mean a single word repeated a thousand times. is that clear, mister tozier?"

richie looked up at him, rolling his eyes. "crystal.."

"good. maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself. maybe you'll even decide whether or not you care to return," gray said, walking back in front of the desks.

"you know, i can answer that right now," mike answered, standing up with his hand high in the air. "that would be a 'no' for me, 'cause--"

"sit down, hanlon." gray demanded, glaring at mike.

"thank you, sir," mike muttered, sitting down.

"my office is right across that hall," gray growled, pointing out the door. "any monkey business is ill-advised. any questions?"

"yeah, i've got a question," richie piped up. gray eyed him suspiciously, and richie smirked as he continued. "does barry manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"

"i'll give you the answer to that question, mr. tozier, next saturday. don't mess with the bull, young man, or you'll get the horns." and with that, gray left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

"what a straggot," richie muttered as he watched gray walk away.

everyone sat quietly, adjusting themselves in an attempt to get more comfortable when a loud snapping sound had them all turning around in confusion.

the sound was stanley chewing on his nails, biting little chunks off bit by bit. richie's eyes went wide, and that's when stan realized everyone was staring at him.

"keep eating your hand, emo, and you won't be hungry for lunch," richie scoffed, stan spitting part of his nail at him in response. "I've seen you before, you know," richie hummed. stan ignored him, rolling his eyes.

the next person that got richie's attention was mike; the boy was muttering to himself quietly, staring off into space as he played with his pen.

"who do i think i am? who are you... who are you?" mike hummed. he put his pen on his bottom lip, tucking the top under his top lip. "i am a walrus," he smiled.

richie gave him an incredibly confused look, mike noticing moments later. he was clearly embarrassed, hastily taking the pen out of his mouth before going to take his jacket off--at the same exact time as richie.

mike rubbed his hands together, pretending to be cold as he awkwardly pulled his back on and watched richie take his all the way off.

"it's the shits, huh?" mike smiled uncomfortably, receiving a simple glare from richie.

richie turned away with an eye roll, grabbing the paper that mr. gray had given him to write his essay on and crumpling it up. he threw it at beverly, missing the shot as the paper ball flew over her head.

bev and eddie watched it fly through the air, barely acknowledging its existence while continuing to ignore richie.

in an attempt for yet more attention, richie burst out randomly, 'singing' the opening notes of the song sunshine of your love, which annoyed his peers immensely.

"nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah, nah nah.. nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah, nah nah," he grinned, knowing exactly how obnoxious he was being.

"i can't believe this is really happening to me.." beverly whispered to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

richie stopped singing all of a sudden, with no warning whatsoever. eddie and beverly sighed in relief, tired of his antics already.

"oh shit!" richie gasped. "what're we supposed to do if we have to take a piss?"

"please.." eddie gagged.

"if you gotta go, you gotta go," richie shrugged, reaching down, and everyone could clearly hear the sound of his zipper going down.

"oh my god!" beverly gasped, looking away.

"hey, you're not pissing in here, tozier!" eddie snapped, trying not to gag again.

"don't talk! it makes it crawl back up!" richie hissed.

"you whip it out and you're dead before the first drop hits the floor," eddie growled.

richie gasped in a mocking way, leaning forward so his face was much closer to eddie's. "you're pretty sexy when you're angry," he smirked.

eddie looked away, his fist clenched tightly.

"hey, homeboy," richie turned, looking to mike. "why don't you go close that door? then we'll get the prom queen... impregnated," he grinned.

"hey!" eddie snapped, turning at the same time as beverly to glare at him. richie continued to ignore him.

"hey!" eddie repeated.

"what?" richie asked, looking to eddie with an amused expression.

"if i lose my temper, you're totalled, man," eddie threatened.

"totally?" richie grinned.

"totally." eddie growled.

"why don't you just shut up? nobody's interested!" beverly snapped at richie, turning towards the front again and pulling eddie so he faced away from the frustrating boy.

"really!" eddie agreed, then continued, his voice quieter as he was only talking to bev. "fucking asshole," beverly nodded vigorously.


	6. Chapter 6

"hey, sporto, what'd you do to get in here? forget to wash your jock?" richie grinned mockingly, putting his feet up on the desk.

"uh, excuse me?" mike piped up. "i think we should just write our papers."

"look, just because you live in here doesn't give you the right to be a pain in the ass. so fuck off!" eddie snapped, standing up over richie, glaring down at him.

richie pouted for a moment, holding back a laugh. "it's a free country," he shrugged.

"he's just doing to get a rise out of you, just ignore him," beverly told eddie, rolling her eyes.

"sweets, you couldn't ignore me if you tried," richie scoffed playfully.

"so... so!" richie started back up. "are you guys like boyfriend-girlfriend?"

a pause.

"steady dates?"

another pause.

"looooovers?"

one last pause.

"come on, sporto, level with me. do you slip her the hot beef injection?" he smirked, finally getting the reaction he wanted as eddie and beverly turned around to glare at him, both of them furious.

"go to hell!" beverly screamed, as eddie yelled "enough!" at the same time.

"hey! what's going on?" gray yelled from his office. "smug little pricks," he muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

"scumbag," eddie muttered, glaring at richie.

"hey dork, what do you say we close that door?" richie suggested to mike, getting up and sitting on the railing a few feet away. "we can't have any kind of party with gray checking on us every two seconds,"

"well, you know the door's supposed to stay open.." mike frowned uncomfortably.

"so what?" richie scoffed.

"so why don't you just shut the fuck up? there's four other people in here, you know," eddie snapped, glaring at richie.

"oh my god, you can count! see? i knew you had to be smart to be a.. a wrestler."

"who the hell are you to judge anybody anyway?" eddie growled.

"really," beverly agreed.

"you know, tozier.. you don't even count. i mean, if you disappeared-"

"like that bill kid's brother?" richie interrupted.

"-it wouldn't make any difference. you may as well not even exist at this school," eddie finished.

richie's face fell for a moment, a flash of genuine pain showing before he was smiling again.

"well... i'll just run right out and join the wrestling team," he concluded. "maybe the prep club too! student counsel.."

"no, they wouldn't take you," eddie told him, rolling his eyes.

"i'm hurt,"


	8. Chapter 8

"you know why guys like you knock everything?" beverly asked, making direct eye contact with richie.

"well, this should be stunning," richie muttered.

"it's cause you're afraid," beverly continued.

"oh god. you rich people are so smart! that's exactly why i'm not heavy in activities!"

"you're a big coward!"

"i'm in the math club," mike piped up.

"see, you're afraid they won't take you.. so you just have to dump all over it," beverly told richie, who rolled his eyes.

"well.. it wouldn't have to do with you activities people being assholes, now would it?" richie scoffed.

"well, you wouldn't know.. you don't even know any of us."

"well, i don't know any lepers either. but i'm not about to run out and join one of their fucking clubs," richie snorted.

"hey, let's watch the mouth, huh?" beverly suggested irritatedly.

"i'm in the physics club too.." mike said, feeling the need to contribute again.

richie looked at beverly for a moment. "excuse me a sec..." he turned to mike with a confused expression. "what're you babbling about?"

"well... what i said was.. i'm in the math club, the latin club, and the physics club," mike answered timidly.

"hey, molly ringwald," richie smirked. "you belong to the physics club?"

"that's an academic club,"

"so?"

"so... academic clubs aren't the same as other kinds of clubs," beverly shrugged.

"oh," richie frowned. "to dorks like him, they are." he pointed at mike. "what do you guys do in your club?"

"in physics, uh, we talk about physics.. um, about.. properties of physics.."

"so it's sorta social. demented and sad, but social. right?"

"yeah, well, i guess you could consider it a social situation. i mean, there are other kids in my club, and uh, at the end of the year we have, um, you know.. a big banquet, at the, uh, at the hilton,"


	9. Chapter 9

"you load up, you party," richie grinned.

"well, no, we get dressed up, but we don't...we don't get high," mike frowned.

"only burners like you get high," beverly added, glaring at richie.

"and, uh, i didn't have any fancy shoes, so i had to borrow my grandpa's. it was kinda weird, cause my grandma doesn't like me to wear other people's shoes. and, uh, my cousin kent my cousin kendall from, uh, indiana.. he got high once and you know, he started eating like really weird foods. and uh, and then he just felt like he didn't belong anywhere. you know, kinda like, you know 'twilight zone' kinda," mike ranted.

"sounds like you," beverly laughed to richie.

"look, you guys keep up your talking and gray's gonna come right in here... i got a meet this saturday, and i'm not gonna miss it on account of you boneheads," eddie snapped.

"oh, and wouldn't that be a bite," richie pouted mockingly, moaning in fake pain."missing a whole wrestling meet!"

"well, you wouldn't know anything about it, asshole! you never competed in your whole life!"

"oh, i know," richie said tearfully. "i feel all empty inside because of it. you know, i have such a deep admiration for guys that roll around on the floor with other guys!"

"ahh, you'd never miss it," eddie hissed. "you don't have any goals."

"oh, but i do!"

"oh yeah?"

"yeah! i wanna be just! like! you! i figure all i need's a lobotomy and some tights!

"you wear tights?" mike grinned.

"no, i don't wear tights, i wear the required uniform!" eddie argued.

"yeah. tights," mike laughed.

"shut up!" eddie scoffed, turning around to face forward.

"shit!" richie muttered, hearing mr. gray moving around in the hallway. he came forward and sat between beverly and eddie, crossing his hands neatly on the table.


	10. Chapter 10

when gray went back into his office, richie quickly jumped up with a laugh. he headed towards the double doors, the ones that separated the library from the hallway.

"you know there's not supposed to be any monkey business!" eddie yelled after him.

"young man.. have you finished your paper?" richie shouted back in a deep voice. he went to the door, checking to make sure no one was around, before taking a screw from the door.

"what're you gonna do?" beverly asked.

"drop dead, i hope," eddie muttered.

mike glanced up, noticing richie messing with the door.

"tozier, that's, that's school property there.. you know, it doesn't belong to us. it's not something you're supposed to play with," mike reminded him.

richie bolted for his seat, grinning wildly as the door fell shut.

"that's very funny," eddie deadpanned. "come on, fix it!"

"you should really fix that," mike added.

"am i a genius?" richie laughed.

"no, you're an asshole!" eddie shot back.

"what a funny guy!" richie chuckled.

"fix the door, tozier!" eddie snapped.

"everyone just shush!" richie responded.


	11. Chapter 11

gray was walking down the hallway, back from getting a drink of water, when he heard the kids shouting in the library.

"god damnit!" gray shouted, slamming the door open. "why is the door closed?"

there was a beat of silence.

"why is the door closed?" gray repeated.

"how're we supposed to know? we're not supposed to move, remember?" richie shrugged.

"why?" gray demanded again, turning to beverly.

"we were just sitting here, like we're supposed to," beverly answered meekly.

"who closed that door?" gray shouted.

"i think a screw fell out of it," richie piped up.

"it just closed, sir," eddie told him.

gray turned to look at stan, who squeaked and slammed his face into the table, hiding in his jacket hood.

"he doesn't talk, sir," richie informed the man.

"give me the screw," gray said, standing in front of richie.

"i don't have it,"

"you want me to yank you out of that seat and shake it out of you?"

"i don't have it," richie insisted. "screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place,"

"give it to me, tozier,"

"excuse me, sir, why would anyone want to steal a screw?" beverly asked.

"you watch it, young lady," gray snapped, pointing at her.

he rolled his eyes, walking towards the door. he held it open for a moment, grabbing a folding chair and putting it in front of it.

"the door's way too heavy, sir," richie piped up. immediately after he said it, the door slammed shut.

"god damn it!" gray shouted, drawing a few laughs from the kids. he opened the door, coming back in and pointing at eddie. "eddie kaspbrak.. get up here. come on, front and center, let's go,"

eddie got up and walked over to gray.

"hey, how come eddie gets to get up? if he gets up, we'll all get up, it'll be anarchy!" richie shouted.

eddie rolled his eyes, helping gray move the steel magazine rack in front of the door.

"okay, now, watch the magazines," gray reminded him.

"it's out of my hands," richie shrugged, throwing his arms in the air.


	12. Chapter 12

"that's very clever, sir, but what if there's a fire?" richie smirked. "i think voilating fire codes and endangering the lives of children would be unwise at this juncture in your career, sir."

gray paused for a moment, thinking, before turning to eddie.

"what're you doing with this? Get this outta here for god's sake! what's the matter with you? come on!"

"you know the school comes equipped with fire exits at either end of the library," mike spoke, pointing at each end of the library.

"show bob some respect!" richie scolded.

eddie and gray came back into the library, eddie stumbling and going back to his seat.

"i expected a little more from a varsity letterman!" gray growled at eddie, who shrunk in his seat. "and you! you're not fooling anybody, tozier! the next screw that falls out is gonna be you!" at that, gray turned and began to walk away.

"eat my shorts," richie muttered.

"what was that?"

"eat. my. shorts." richie sneered loudly.


	13. Chapter 13

"you just bought yourself another saturday, mister!" gray glared at richie.

"oh, christ.." richie rolled his eyes, not caring at all.

"you just bought another right there!"

"well, i'm free the saturday after that... beyond that, i'm gonna have to check my calendar," richie deadpanned.

"good! cause it's gonna be filled, we'll keep going! you want another one? say the word, just say the word! instead of going to prison, you'll come here! are you through?"

"no!"

"i'm doing society a favor!"

"so?"

"that's another one, right now! i've got you for the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step! you want another one?"

"yes!"

"you got it! you got another one right there! that's another one, pal!"

"cut it out!" beverly interupted, her voice cracking a bit before she mouthed 'stop' to richie.

"you through?" gray snapped.

"not even close, bud!" 

"good! you got one more, right there!"

"do you really think i give a shit?" richie scoffed.

"another," gray growled, receiving nothing but a glare from richie. "you through?"

"... how many is that?"

"that's seven, including the one when we first came in and you asked mr. gray here whether barry manilow knew that he raided his closet." mike informed them.

"now, it's eight." gray told richie, turning to look at mike. "you stay out of it!"

"excuse me, sir, but it's seven," mike repeated.

"shut up, peewee!" gray shouted. "you're mine, tozier. for two months i've got ya. i've got ya!"

"what can i say? i'm thrilled,"

"oh, i'm sure that's exactly what you want these people to believe. you know something, tozier? you ought to spend a little more time trying to do something with yourself and a little less time trying to impress people. you might be a better off." gray then turned to address everyone. "alright, that's it! i'm going to be right outside those doors. the next time i have to come in here, i'm cracking skulls!" at the same time, richie mouthed the phrase, shaking his head mockingly as his lips formed 'i'm cracking skulls' rudely.

gray left, closing the door behind him. the last thing he heard was richie's shout.

"fuck you!"


	14. Chapter 14

the clock read 7:45, and the five were bored, to say the least. they were each doing their own thing, some more absurd than others.

richie was busy lighting his shoe on fire, using the flame to light a cigarette. a few moments later, he put the flame out, pretending to play the guitar.

beverly was simply sitting, resting her head on her hand as she thought about whatever came to mind.

mike was sitting with his head in his arms, laying partway on the desk.

eddie was pulling the strings of his hoodie back and forth.

stanley was sitting in the back, drawing birds on the paper he'd been given to write his essay on.

slowly, they all fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

"wake up!" gray shouted. he'd just come into the library, and the five were all passed out. "who has to go to the lavatory?" he asked, and everyone raised their hands.


	16. Chapter 16

it was 10:22. eddie was stretching, using the railing in the library. richie was sitting on the counter, tearing pages out of a book and throwing them up in the air. beverly and stanley were in their seats still.

"that's real intelligent," eddie rolled his eyes, glaring at richie.

"you're right, it's wrong to destroy literature," richie mocked, tearing another page out. "it's such fun to read.. and molet really pumps my nads."

"molière," beverly corrected his pronunciation with a smirk.

"i love his work," mike added in, ducking as richie tossed the rest of the pages at him, each page flying in a different direction.

"big deal," richie scoffed. "nothing to do when you're locked in for a vacancy.."

"speak for yourself," eddie muttered.

"do you think i'd speak for you? i don't even know your language!" richie shot back.

"hey, you grounded tonight?" eddie asked beverly, ignoring richie.

"i dunno," beverly shrugged. "my dad said i was, but my mom told me just to blow him off,"

"big party at greta's, parents are in europe. should be pretty wild," eddie continued.

"yeah?"

"yeah, can you go?"

"i doubt it," 

"how come?"

"well, cause if i do what my dad tells me not to do, it's because my mom says it's okay. there's like this whole big monster deal, it's endless and it's a total drag. it's like any minute.. divorce."

"who do you like better?" richie asked.


	17. Chapter 17

"what?" beverly asked.

"you like your mom better than your old man?" richie clarified.

"they're both strict," beverly shrugged.

"no, i mean, if you had to choose between them,"

"i dunno. i mean, i'd probably go live with my aunt. i mean, i don't think either one of them gives a shit about me.. it's like they use me just to get back at each other,"

"ha!" stan shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. he blew his hair out of his face, grinning.

"shut up!" beverly snapped.

"you're just feeling sorry for yourself," eddie rolled his eyes.

"yeah? well if i didn't, no one else would,"

"you're breaking my heart," eddie put a hand to his heart in fake agony.

"sporto," richie jumped off the counter.

"what?"

"you get along with your parents?"

"well, if i say yes, i'm an idiot, right?"

"you're an idiot anyway. but if you say you get along with your parents, you're a liar too," richie laughed, turning and walking away. eddie followed, pushing him.

"you know something, man? if we weren't in school right now, i'd waste you!"

"can you hear this?" richie asked, pointing his middle finger at the floor. "do you want me to turn it up?" he flipped his hand up, flipping eddie off properly.

"hey fellas, i mean," mike started, putting a hand on each of the boys' shoulders. they both shoved his arm off their shoulder as eddie pounced on richie, tackling him to the ground.


	18. Chapter 18

the two wrestled on the floor for a few minutes, richie doing surprisingly well. but eddie was used to wrestling till he won, and richie wasn't; resulting in eddie winning, throwing his arms up in the air after richie gave up. he had pinned him to the ground, and eddie was currently sitting on his stomach.

richie pushed eddie off, pulling his big shirt down over his crotch in an attempt to hide the boner that had snuck in. he wasn't as stealthy as he had hoped, and that was clear when eddie slapped him.


	19. Chapter 19

"i mean, i don't have parents, but i don't like my grandparents, i don't... i don't get along with them. their idea of parental compassion is just, you know, wacko," mike said after a moment, watching richie glare at eddie. 

"dork," richie scoffed, still holding his shirt over himself.

"yeah?"

"you are a parent's wet dream, okay?" richie scoffed.

"that's a problem!" mike insisted.

"look, i can see you getting all bunged up for them making you wear these kinds of clothes," richie gestured to mike's outfit; a light gray sweater with khakis and sneakers. "but face it, you're a neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie. what would you be doing if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?" at that, richie excused himself and made his way to the bathroom to take care of his problem.


	20. Chapter 20

when richie got back, eddie was already snapping at him.

"why do you have to insult everybody?"

"i'm being honest, asshole! i would expect you to know the difference!" richie growled.

"yeah? well, he's got a name!"

"oh yeah?"

"yeah!" at this, eddie turned to mike. "what's your name?"

"mike.." 

"see?" eddie smiled triumphantly.

"my condolences," richie nodded to mike, who looked confused.

"what's your name?" beverly asked.

"what's yours?" richie responded, making his way to her and standing right in front of her desk.

"beverly,"

"beaverly?"

"beverly. it's a family name."

"no," richie grinned. "it's a fat girl's name!"

"well thanks,"

"you're welcome,"

"i'm not fat!"

"well, not at present. but i can see you really pushing maximum density! you see, i'm not sure if you know this, but there are two kinds of fat people. there's fat people that were born to be fat, and then there's fat people that were once thin but then became fat... so when you look at them you can sorta see that thin person inside. you see, you're gonna get married, you're gonna squeeze out a few puppies and then..." he mimed becoming fat, making noises.

beverly rolled her eyes, flipping him off.

"oh.. obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl!" richie fake gasped, grinning widely.


	21. Chapter 21

"are you a virgin?" richie asked bluntly, leaning down to look her straight in the eyes. "i'll bet you a million dollars you are. let's end the suspense! is it gonna be a white wedding?" 

"why don't you just shut up?" beverly scoffed, avoiding making eye contact.

"have you ever kissed a boy on the mouth? have you ever been felt up? over the bra, over the blouse, shoes off... hoping to god your parents don't walk in?"

"do you want me to puke?" beverly whimpered.

"leave her alone," eddie snapped.

"oh? what about you, then? ever kissed a girl?" richie grinned, turning to eddie.

"gay,"

"oh," richie choked, freezing for a moment before clearing his throat.

"ever kissed a boy, then?"

"fuck off, asshole,"

"have you ever been felt up before? shirtless, over the boxers, in the front seat past eleven on a school night?"

"fuck off!"

"what was that?"

"i said fuck off!"

"you gonna make me?" richie taunted.

"yeah!"

"you and how many of your friends?"

"just me, just you and me. two hits. me hitting you, you hitting the floor! anytime you're ready, pal!" eddie shouted. richie went to punch him, but eddie got him down to the ground with another wrestling move.


	22. Chapter 22

"i don't want to get into this with you, man," richie told eddie. eddie got up, richie following his lead.

"why not?"

"cause i'd kill ya. it's real simple. i'd kill you and your fucking parents would sue me and it would be a big mess and i don't care enough about you to bother,"

"chicken shit." eddie scoffed.

richie took that as a challenge, and turned around to hit eddie again. eddie wasn't expecting it this time, and took the hit square in the jaw.

"jesus," beverly muttered.

"stop it!" mike intervened.

eddie hit richie back. a choice he shouldn't have made, but didn't regret just yet.


	23. Chapter 23

eventually the two stopped. eddie's nose was bleeding slightly, and richie's eye was definitely beginning to bruise. eddie turned away from richie with a huff, heading towards his seat. he turned when he heard a sound from behind him; it was richie opening a switchblade. eddie stumbled a bit, his eyes wide, breathing in relief when richie simply stabbed the blade in a chair.

"let's end this right here, right now. you don't talk to her. you don't look at her. and you don't think about her. you understand me?" eddie snapped, watching as stanley leaned over and stole the knife.

"i'm trying to help her," richie scoffed. they both sat down in their seats.

their heads all turned as they heard britney spears playing, the school janitor, zach denbrough, walking in with a radio on his cart.

"hey, mike, how're you?"

"your dad work here?" richie grinned teasingly, laughing when he saw mike's embarrassed expression.

"uh, zach?"

"yeah?"

"can i ask you a question?"

"sure,"

"how does one become a janitor?"


	24. Chapter 24

"you want to be a janitor?" zach asked.

"no, i just want to know how one becomes a janitor; eddie here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts." richie smirked, watching eddie shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"oh really?" zach smiled. "you guys think i'm just some untouchable peasant? peon? huh? maybe so, but following a broom around after you shitheads for the past eight years, i've learned a lot of things. i look through your letters, i listen to your conversations. you don't know that, but i do. i am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends." he got ready to leave. "and by the way, that clock's twenty minutes fast." and with that, zach was gone.


	25. Chapter 25

11:30. they had been in detention for four and a half hours, and they were all seated again.

richie started whistling a marching tune, the others slowly joining in. after about a minute, mr. gray came in, and richie switched to whistling beethoven's fifth. 

"alright girls, that's thirty minutes for lunch," gray told them with a sneer.

"here?" eddie asked.

"here." gray repeated.

"well, sir, i think the cafeteria would be a more suitable place for us to eat lunch in," eddie shrugged.

"well, i don't care what you think, edward!"

"uh, bert? excuse me, rob.. will milk be made available to us?" richie asked innocently.

"we're extremely thirsty, sir," beverly added.

"i have a very low tolerance for dehydration," eddie told him.

"i've seen him dehydrated," beverly agreed. "it's pretty gross."

richie stood up, adjusting his shirt. "relax, folks. i'll get it.:

"ah, ah, ah, grab some wood there, bub!" gray snapped, receiving a simple grin from richie. "do you think i was born yesterday? you think i'm gonna have you roaming these halls?"

gray turned to point at eddie. "you!" he shouted, pointing at stanley next. stan was turned sideways, facing away from them. "and you! hey! what's his name? wake him! wake him up! come on, on your feet, mister. let's go, this isn't a rest home!"

stanley got up and went to follow eddie.

"there's a soft drink machine in the teacher's lounge. get going!" and with that, eddie, stan, and mr. gray had left the library.


	26. Chapter 26

the silence in the hallway was far from comfortable. eddie and stanley were shuffling along next to each other, their hands in their pockets awkwardly.

"so... what's your poison?" eddie asked.

stanley didn't answer.

"what do you drink?" he clarified.

still no answer.

"okay, forget i asked," eddie scoffed.

stanley waited for a moment before answering. "vodka."

"vodka? when do you drink vodka?"

"whenever," stan shrugged.

"a lot?"

"tons," he smiled.

"is that why you're here today?" eddie asked.

stanley didn't answer again.

"why are you here?"

"why are you here?" stan snapped back.

they stopped walking, eddie leaning against a wall.

"uh, i'm here today.. because um, because my coach and my father don't want me to blow my ride. see, i get treated differently, cause uh, coach thinks i'm a winner. so does my old man. i'm not a winner cause i want to be one... i'm a winner cause i've got strength and speed, kinda like a racehorse. that's about how involved i am in what's happening to me."

"yeah? that's very interesting. now why don't you tell me why you're really in here?" stanley scoffed.

"forget it!" eddie muttered, continuing on ahead of stan.


	27. Chapter 27

richie, beverly, and mike were sitting off to the side in a different part of the library, near a statue and a bunch of computers.

"beverly... you wanna see a picture of a guy with elephantitus of the nuts? it's pretty tasty," richie smirked.

"no thank you," beverly gagged.

"how do you think he rides a bike?" richie grinned, watching as beverly rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "oh, beverly... would you ever consider dating a guy like this?"

"can't you just leave me alone?"

"i mean, if he had a great personality, and was a good dancer and had a cool car... although you'd probably have to ride in the back seat, 'cause his nuts would ride shotgun," richie cackled.

"you know what i wish i was doing?" beverly asked.

"watch what you say!" richie interrupted. "mikey here is a cherry."

"a cherry?" mike repeated.

"i wish i was on a plane to france," beverly mused.

"i'm not a cherry," mike frowned.

"when have you ever gotten laid?" richie asked with a scoff.

"i've laid lots of times,"

"name one,"

"she lives in canada. met her at niagra falls, you wouldn't know her," mike shrugged.

"ever laid anyone around here?"

mike shushed richie a bit, pointing at beverly. she still wasn't facing them.

"oh! you and beaverly did it!"


	28. Chapter 28

beverly spun around. "what're you talking about?"

"nothing!" mike answered, whispering to richie a moment later. "let's just drop it, we'll talk about it later!"

"no! drop what? what're you talking about?"

"well," richie started with a smirk. "mikey's trying to tell me that in addition to the number of girls in the niagra falls area, that presently, you and he are riding the hobby horse!"

"you pig!" beverly glared at mike.

"no! i'm not! i'm not! richie said i was a cherry, and i said i wasn't! that's it, that's all that was said!" mike countered desperately.

"well then what were you motioning to beverly for?"

"you know, i don't appreciate this very much, michael,"

"he's lying!" mike protested.

"so you weren't motioning to beverly?"

"you know he's lying, right?"

"were you or were you not motioning to beverly?" richie insisted.

"yeah, but it was only.. was only 'cause i didn't want her to know that i was a virgin, okay?" mike shrugged, giving up. "excuse me for being a virgin, i'm sorry,"

beverly laughed, while richie just stared at mike.

"why didn't you want me to know you were a virgin?"

"because it's my personal business. it's my personal, private, business,"

"well, mike, it doesn't sound like you're doing any business," richie snorted.

"i think it's okay for a guy to be a virgin," bev mused, smiling at the shock on richie's face.

"you do?" mike asked.

beverly smiled and nodded.


	29. Chapter 29

everyone had their lunch but richie.

bev started taking hers out of a small shopping bag.

"what's in there?" richie asked.

"guess. where's your lunch,"

"you're wearing it," richie grinned.

"you're nauseating," beverly rolled her eyes.

richie laughed and grabbed one of the cokes eddie and stanley had brought back, throwing it to stan. he caught it without even looking up.

richie turned back to watch bev, who was setting up a sushi platter.

"what's that?" he asked.

"sushi,"

"sushi?" 

"rice, uh, raw fish, seaweed."

"you won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, but you're gonna eat that?" richie gagged.

"can i eat?"

"i don't know, give it a try,"

beverly began ignoring richie and eating her lunch, until the noise eddie was making distracted her.

the noise was the sound of eddie pulling out loads of food; a bag of potato chips, an apple, a banana, a bag of cookies, and a carton of milk.

the next noise came from stan. his coke fizzed a bit from richie throwing it, overflowing down the sides. he leaned down and slurped it off the table before licking it off his fingers.

"what's your problem?" eddie snapped at richie, who was looking back and forth from the food to him.

richie didn't answer, watching stan next as he opened his sandwich and threw the meat up in the air. it landed on the statue behind him, stan ignoring it as he opened pixie stix and pouring them on the sandwich before adding cap'n crunch. he pushed them together, the sound loud in the quiet room.

richie smiled a bit, getting up and moving to sit next to mike.

"what're we having?" he asked.

"uh, it's your standard, regular lunch i guess," mike answered as richie took the bag from him and started pulling things out. the first was a thermos.

"milk?"

"soup."

richie pulled out a juice box, slapping mike's hand when he reached for it.

"that's apple juice.."

"i can read!" richie scoffed. "pb n j with the crusts cut off.. well, micycle... this is a very nutricious lunch, all the food groups are represented. did your mom marry mr. rogers?"

"uh, no... mr. hanlon,"

"ah,"


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning ! ! ! ! brief mocking of domestic abuse

"here's my impression of life at mike's house," richie announced, standing up. he did two voices, a loud, nearly shouting one, and a quieter, squeakier one. "'son?'

'yeah, pop?'

"how's your day, pal?'

'great pop, how's yours?'

'super! say, son, how'd you like to go fishing this weekend?'

'great dad, but i've got homework to do'

'that's alright son, you can do it on the boat!'

'gee!'" richie turned to one side. "'dear, isn't mike swell?'

'yes dear, isn't life swell?'" he made kissy faces one way, then the other, rolling his eyes and thrusting his fist in the air like he was hitting one of them.

it wasn't very funny anymore.

"alright, what about your family?" beverly asked.

"oh, mine?" richie asked.

"that's real easy!" beverly continued,

richie stood up again. "'get outta here, fag!'

'honey, shouldn't we talk about this?'

'i don't want a fag for a kid! get outta here!'"

"oh really? what about where you're living now?" beverly scoffed.

"that's even easier," richie announced, pointing forward. "stupid, worthless, no good, god damned freeloading, son of a bitch. retarted, bigmouth, know it all, asshole, jerk!"

he turned to the side, crossing his arms. "'you forgot ugly, lazy, and disrespectful.'

'shut up, you little shit! go get me a turkey pot pie!'" he slapped the air angrily.

"'what about you, chief?'

'fuck you!'

'no, chief, what about you?'

'fuck you!

'no, chief, what about you?'

'fuck you!'"

he reached out, pretending butch was hitting him and pretended to stumble backwards.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning ! ! ! brief discussion about domestic abuse

"is that for real?" beverly asked.

"you wanna come over sometime?" richie shot back.

"it's bullshit," beverly decided. "it's all part of your image, i don't believe a word of it."

"you don't believe me?" richie asked quietly, looking and feeling genuinely hurt.

"no,"

"no?"

"did i stutter?" beverly scoffed.

richie made his way to beverly with a fire in his eyes, rolling up his sleeve to show her a burn. it was round, and a decent size.

"do you believe this? huh? it's about the size of a cigar... do i stutter? you see, this is what you get for spilling paint in the garage in the bowers household," beverly refused to make eye contact, her eyes glued to the table in shame as richie began to walk away. "see, i don't think that i need to sit here with you fucking dildos anymore!" he went to a map table, pushing everything off harshly before climbing on top of it, using it to boost himself up onto the second floor balcony. he sat there, resting his head on the railing.

"you shouldn't have said that," eddie scolded beverly with an upset look.

"how would i know? i mean, he lies about everything else," beverly shrugged.


	32. Chapter 32

mr. gray was sitting in his office, an orange resting in his mouth. he grabbed a thermos in front of him and went to pour coffee out of it, the top popping of and coffee spilling all over his desk. "oh, shit!" he left his office, walking down the hallway and muttering to himself. "coffee.. looks like they scrape it off the bottom of the mississippi river. everything's polluted."

richie leaned out the doorway of the library, checking for the principal before quietly exiting. the rest of them followed him, eddie next to richie, mike next to beverly, and stanley following at the back.

"how do you know where vernon went?" eddie asked.

"i don't. being bad feels pretty good, huh?" richie grinned.

"what's the point in going to richie's locker?" mike asked beverly.

"beats me," beverly shrugged.

"this is so stupid.. why do you think, why are we risking getting caught?"

"i dunno."

"so then what are we doing?"

"you ask me one more question and i'll kick you in the balls," 

"sorry,"

richie interuppted mike by opening his locker, which was a hot mess.

"slob!" eddie hissed.

"yeah? sorry, my maid's on vacation," richie scoffed, pulling out a brown paper bag. there was another inside, and one last before he pulled out the plastic baggie of weed.

"drugs," mike gasped.

"screw that," beverly snapped. "tozier! put it back!"

richie ignored her, walking away.

"drugs! the boy has marijuana!" mike gaped.

eddie followed richie, leaving mike staring wide-eyed with beverly and stanley.

"that was marijuana!" mike repeated.

"shut up!" beverly growled, following richie and eddie. mike looked to stanley, who was standing there with his mouth open.

"do you approve of this?" he asked. when stanley didn't answer, mike shrugged it off, turning to follow with the others. stan stole the lock off of richie's locker before trailing behind.


	33. Chapter 33

"we'll cross through the lab, and then we'll double back," richie announced.

"you better be right. if vernon cuts us off, it's your fault, asshole!" beverly threatened.

"what'd he say? where're we going?" mike asked eddie, who didn't answer as they saw mr. gray, swerving to run down a different hallway. this happened a few times, them barely avoiding getting caught.

"wait! wait, hold it! hold it! we've gotta go through the cafeteria!" richie said, pausing.

"no, the activities hall," beverly argued. 

"you don't know what you're talking about!" richie shot back.

"no, you don't know what you're talking about!" beverly shouted, stan squeaking quietly and nervously.

"now, we're through listening to you, we're going this way," beverly decided firmly, running away. they all eventually gave in and followed her, running into a hall closed with an iron gate. "shit!"

"great idea, jagoff!" richie shouted.

"fuck you!"

"fuck you! why didn't you listen to richie?" eddie shouted to beverly defensively.

"we're dead," mike groaned.

"no. just me." richie decided.

"what do you mean?" mike asked.

"get back to the library, and keep your unit on this!" richie instructed, sticking his baggie of weed in mike's underwear before running off and singing loudly.

"i wanna be an airborne ranger!" he screamed, gray perking up as he heard the teen's voice.

"that son of a bitch!" gray growled, and the rest of the kids ran back to the library, making it there successfully.


	34. Chapter 34

gray ran around the school, hearing richie's singing ("before the day i die, there's five things i want to ride: bicycle, tricycle, automobile, virgin's mother and a ferris wheel,") until he finally found him in the gym.

richie was going in for a basket. "three.. two.. one!" he screamed, dunking the ball as gray entered the room.

"tozier! tozier! tozier, what is this? what're you doing here? what is this?" gray shouted.

"oh, hi!" richie smiled innocently.

"out! that's it, tozier! out, it's over!"

"don't you want to hear my excuse?"

"out!"

"i'm thinking of trying out for a scholarship!" richie grinned, dribbling the ball.

"give me the ball, tozier," gray threatened. richie faked throwing the ball, making the principal reach to catch it, before just setting the ball down and rolling it at gray. gray kicked it back at him, richie losing a basketball shoe he'd found in the gym and put on as he jumped out of its way.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: really just a lot of yelling and sort of verbal abuse. be careful <3

they were all in the library--that is, all but richie, who was promptly escorted back, getting shoved towards his seat by mr. gray.

"get your stuff, let's go!" he instructed. "mr. wiseguy here has taken it upon himself to go to the gymnasium. i'm sorry to inform you, but you're going to be without his services for the rest of the day,"

"b-o-o h-o-o," richie spelled out, rolling his eyes. as he picked up his things.

"everything's a big joke, huh tozier? the false alarm you pulled friday too? false alarms are really funny, aren't they. what if your home, what if your family.."

a beat of silence.

"what if your dope was on fire?" gray demanded.

"impossible, sir. it's in hanlon's underwear," richie deadpanned. eddie laughed quietly.

"you think he's funny?" gray asked, his voice getting louder and his tone getting harsher. "you think this is cute? you think he's bitchin', is that it? let me tell you something. look at him. he's a bum." gray turned to everyone. "you wanna see something funny? you go visit richie tozier in five years! you'll see how god-damned funny he is!"

richie looked genuinely hurt for a moment before pretending to shrug it off, and gray took advantage of it.

"what's the matter, rich? you gonna cry? let's go," he grabbed richie's shoulder.

"hey, keep your fucking hands off me! i expect better manners from you, rob!" he took his sunglasses out of one of his pockets and put them in front of beverly. "for better hallway vision!"


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: more yelling/verbal abuse. be careful <3

gray shoved richie into a closet, shutting the door behind him.

"that's the last time, tozier. that's the last time you ever make me look bad in front of those kids, do you hear me? i make $31,000 a year and i have a home and i'm not about to throw it away on some punk like you... but someday, man, someday. when you're outta here and you've forgotten all about this place and they've all forgotten about you, when you're wrapped up in your own pathetic life.. i'm gonna be there. that's right! and i'm gonna kick the living shit out of you, man, i'm gonna knock your dick in the dirt!"

"are you threatening me?" richie's voice wavered a bit, and he tried to hide how scared he was. but his façade couldn't last forever.

"what're you gonna do about it? you think anybody's gonna believe you? you think anybody's gonna take your word over mine? i'm a man of respect around here. they love me around here, i'm a swell guy.. and you're a lying sack of shit! and everybody knows it. oh, you're a real tough guy... come on, come on.. get on your feet, pal! let's find out just how tough you are!" gray put up his fists in a fighting position, watching and grinning as he watched richie sink back further into the closet, terrified. "i wanna know right now, how tough you are! come on! i'll give you the first punch! let's go! come on, right here. just take the first shot! come on, just take one shot, that's all i need, just one swing!"

richie refused to move, staring at gray with wide eyes that were close to filling with tears. gray faked a punch at richie, and he flinched. hard.

"that's what i thought," gray stood up properly, glaring down at richie. "you're a gutless turd!" he turned, shutting and locking the closet door behind him.

once he was gone, richie wiped his eyes, climbed into a hatch in the ceiling, and disappeared.


	37. Chapter 37

richie was crawling through one of the school's heating ducts, telling himself jokes.

"a naked blonde walks into a bar, with a poodle under one arm and a two foot salami under the other. she lays the poodle on the table. bartender says: 'i suppose you won't be needing a drink," he smiled. "the naked lady says..." at that exact moment, the ceiling gave out underneath him and he fell through. "oh shit!" he screamed.


	38. Chapter 38

"jesus christ allmighty!" gray shouted, hearing richie crash down. he was in the bathroom, and left in record time.

richie marched down the stairs and into the library, shrugging at the others. "i forgot my pencil,"

"god damnit! what in god's name is going on in here?" gray shouted from the hallway. richie rushed under the front desk, in front of eddie's legs. the front of the desk was covered, hiding richie from the principal's view. "what was that ruckus?"

"uh, what ruckus?" beverly asked.

"i was just in my office and i heard a ruckus!" gray glared.

"could you describe the ruckus, sir?" mike asked.

"watch your tongue, young man! watch it!"

richie shifted a bit, sitting up and groaning loudly on accident as he hit his head on the desk. the students that could be seen tried to take credit for the noise, hitting the table.

"what is that? what, what is that, what is that noise?"

"what noise?" beverly asked.

"really, sir, there wasn't any noise.." eddie told him. at that moment, richie had started to push his head towards eddie's crotch. the boy squeezed his head between his legs, squeaking a bit. everyone started faking a coughing fit to cover up richie's second groan.

"that noise? was that the noise you were talking about?" eddie asked, flustered and slightly out of breath as his face glowed red.

"no, it wasn't. that was not the noise i was talking about. now, i may not have caught you in the act this time, but you can bet i will." gray's voice was stern and disrespectful, scaring the kids a bit.

but not stan. no, stan didn't care. in fact, he laughed.

and gray was not happy with that. not one bit.


	39. Chapter 39

everyone but eddie was laughing as richie crawled out from underneath the desk. gray was gone, leaving a trail of threats in his wake, and leaving the teens on the verge of tears while they tried to hold in their laughter. eddie slapped richie a bunch of times, all over his back and his head and his arms.

"it was an accident!" richie insisted, giggling.

"you're an asshole!" eddie shouted back.

"sue me," richie shrugged, a smirk resting on his lips. he made his way to mike. "so, ahab.. kybo mein doobage.."

mike gave richie the baggie of marijuana, the latter taking the baggie and walking away.

"yo, waistoid.. you're not gonna blaze up in here!" eddie called after him.

beverly got up and followed richie, then mike.

"shit.." eddie muttered.


	40. Chapter 40

richie, mike, and beverly were sitting in a little circle, laughing hysterically. richie lit a cigarette for beverly, his face lighting up as he watched her choke on the smoke. 

"chicks cannot hold their smoke! that's what it is!" mike grinned, his voice weird and sort of high pitched.

"do you know how popular i am?" beverly smiled. "i'm so popular, everybody loves me so much at this school,"

"poor baby," richie laughed.


	41. Chapter 41

gray was in the basement of the school, going through the confidential files in one of the many filing cabinets.

"mister, oh mister keene... a history of slight mental illness? woof, no wonder he's so fucked up!" he hummed to himself, smiling.

that's when zach denbrough walked in. "afternoon, rob,"

"hey zach, how you doin'?" gray greeted.

"good," he answered shortly.

"good. what's up?"

"not much. what's happening, what are you doing in the basement files?" zach asked, raising his eyebrows.

"nothing, nothing. i'm just doing a little bit of homework here,"

"homework, huh?"

"yeah."

zach laughed, making his way to see what files gray was looking at. "confidential files, huh?"

"look, zach. this is a highly sensitive area and i, i tell you something. certain people would be very, very embarrassed. i would really appreciate it if-if this would be something that, that you and i could keep between us.." gray responded awkwardly, stuttering a few times and sounding more like zach's son than the principal.

"what're you gonna do for me, then?"

"well, what would you like?"

"got fifty bucks?"

"what?"

"fifty bucks."


	42. Chapter 42

there were a few couches for reading in the library, and eddie and mike were sitting in one laughing as they talked. stanley stood a little bit away from them, next to the statue.

"no, no," eddie laughed. "you got a middle name?"

"yeah. guess," mike grinned.

stanley took a sudden interest in the conversation, beginning to speak as he moved over to the two. "your middle name is ralph, as in puke."

the two looked at them, incredibly confused as they waited for him to continue.

"your birthday is july third. you're five-nine and a half. you weigh a hundred and thirty pounds, and your social security number is 0-4-9-3-8-0-9-1-3,"

"woah. are you psychic?" eddie asked, impressed.

"no,"

"well would you mind telling me how you know all this about me?" mike snapped a bit, watching as stanley grinned and pulled the wallet out of a pocket in his coat.

"give it to me," mike instructed, holding his hand out.

"no," stan frowned.

"give it!"

stan reluctantly gave mike his wallet back, mike going through it immediately to make sure stan hadn't stolen anything.

"this is great," mike scoffed. "you're a thief too,"

"i'm not a thief!" stan gaped.

"multi-talented," mike corrected himself.

"what's there to steal? two bucks!"


	43. Chapter 43

richie and beverly were sitting in a different area, richie digging through beverly's purse and beverly going through his wallet pictures.

"are all these your boyfriends?" beverly asked.

"some of them," richie hummed.

"what about the others?"

"well, some of them i consider my boyfriends, and some.. some i just consider."

"consider what?"

"whether or not i wanna hang out with them."

"you don't believe in just one person with another?" beverly asked, shocked.

"do you?" richie scoffed.

"yeah. that's the way it should be."

"well, not for me," 

"why not?"

richie avoided answering, going back to digging through her purse again. "how come you got so much shit in your purse?"

"how come you got so many boyfriends?" beverly shot back.

"i asked you first."

"i dunno," beverly shrugged. "i guess i never throw anything away."

"neither do i,"


	44. Chapter 44

"this is the worst fake id i've ever seen," eddie laughed, going through mike's wallet. "you do realize you made yourself sixty eight?"

"i know, i know," mike grinned, laughing with eddie. "i goofed it."

"what do you need a fake id for anyways?"

"so i can vote," mike shrugged, stating it like it was obvious. stan suddenly looked up from next to mike.

"you wanna see what's in my bag?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"no," mike and eddie answered in unison.

stanley didn't accept that answer. he looked hurt, then to spite them, he dumped his bag out onto the couch in the space between him and mike. there was a lot of stuff in it, including tissues, a pair of pants, a shirt, and a comb or two.

"holy shit! what's all that stuff?" eddie gaped.

"do you always carry this much shit in your bag?" mike asked.

"yeah. i always carry this much shit in my bag. you never know when you may have to jam,"

"are you gonna be a shopping bag man? you know, like sit in alleyways and, like, talk to buildings and wear women's shoes and that kinda thing?" mike asked with a small smile. 

"i'll do what i have to do," stan shrugged.

"why do you have to do anything?" mike pressed.

"my home life is... unsatisfying..."

"so you're saying you'd subject yourself to the violent dangers of the derry streets because your home life is unsatisfying?" mike asked.

"i don't have to run away and live in the street," stan protested. "i can run away and go to the ocean. i can run away and go to la. i can go to new york, philadelphia, chicago..."

mike looked at stan for a moment, before leaning near eddie. "ed, you wanna get in on this? stanley here says he wants to run away.. because his home life is unsatisfying.."

"well, everyone's home lives are unsatisfying," eddie mused. "if it wasn't.. people would live with their parents forever."

"nevermind," stan scoffed. "forget it, everything's cool," he started putting everything back in his bag.

"what's the deal?" eddie asked.

"no! there's no deal, sporto. forget it. leave me alone."

"wait a minute, now you're carrying around in your bag. either you really run away, or you want people to think you wanna run away."

"eat shit!" stan shouted, getting up and walking away from them angrily.


	45. Chapter 45

"the guy is an island, with himself. okay?" mike rolled his eyes.

"you want to talk?" eddie asked, getting up and going after stan.

"no!"

"why not?"

"go away." stan mumbled.

"where do you want me to go?" eddie scoffed, throwing his hands in the air.

"go away!" stan shouted, and eddie turned away from him as stanley began to cry.

"you have problems..." stanley sniffed.

"oh, i have problems?" eddie laughed.

"you do everything everybody ever tells you to do, and that's a problem!"

"okay, fine. but i didn't dump my bag out on the couch and invite people into my problems... did i? so what's wrong? what is it? is it bad? real bad? parents?"

stanley was crying silently, tears dripping down his chin. "yeah.."

"what do they do to you?"

"they ignore me,"

"yeah.. yeah." eddie hummed, a couple tears falling too.


End file.
